#### 44.4.3 Understanding when not to delete .ref and .htm files

If the files you are converting have no interfile links, you do not need.ref files. However, if there are interfile links, .ref files are essential to make any links to split parts point to the correct split file (see §27.3 Splitting files).

If you are converting to any HTML output type, in the following situation you must provide an explicit setting for EmptyOutputFiles that does not include *.ref:

- EmptyOutputDir=File, and you are converting a file that has interfile links.

External links require keeping .ref files

By default, DITA2Go deletes *.ref when EmptyOutputDir is in play (see §44.4.1 Specifying when to delete old files from the project directory) and there is no explicit setting for EmptyOutputFiles (see §44.4.2 Specifying which files to delete from the project directory). When reference files are removed, you lose the information added from other files that were already converted. If you are running a series of such conversions, you can delete *.ref files before the first conversion, but not thereafter.

See also:

§44.4.1 Specifying when to delete old files from the project directory

§44.4.2 Specifying which files to delete from the project directory

Previous Topic: 44.4.2 Specifying which files to delete from the project directory

Next Topic: 44.5 Gathering additional files before converting

Parent Topic: 44.4 Clearing out old files before converting

Sibling Topics:

44.4.1 Specifying when to delete old files from the project directory

44.4.2 Specifying which files to delete from the project directory